Many documents benefit from the addition of pictures. You may
want to add a logo to a report, or place a graph or chart in a report.
Charts which you have created within Fireworkz are
treated as pictures, so all the information about repositioning and
resizing pictures applies to charts as well.
Adding pictures to Fireworkz is a simple process.
This chapter describes the ways you can use pictures within Fireworkz documents:
Pictures in a variety of formats can be added to your documents.
Fireworkz can also create pictures in the form of charts.
These can be saved as RISC OS Draw files.
Fireworkz supports the following picture formats:
JPEG/JFIF (.JPG,.JPEG)
RISC OS Draw (.AFF)
RISC OS sprite (.FF9)
Windows bitmap (.BMP)
Fireworkz on RISC OS supports the automatic import of many other picture formats using ChangeFSI (if it is available).
Pictures in these formats can be added to a document or transferred between RISC OS and Windows computers
as files embedded in or referenced by a Fireworkz document.
Windows uses the file extensions .AFF for RISC OS Draw files and .FF9 for RISC OS sprites.
Adding these extensions to file names will make it easier for the Windows computer
to recognise files as suitable graphics and allow them to be inserted into your document.
You should make sure that your sprites and Draw files do not have any other extension
added to their name as they will then not be correctly read by Fireworkz.
You can use the (now free) OakDraw package to create and edit RISC OS Draw files on Windows.
Using pictures in your document
Fireworkz lets you add pictures to your documents, move them around the page, resize them,
and also to pin them to the text so that they always stay with their associated text even if the document is reformatted.
You can also add pictures as the background to a page.
How Fireworkz handles pictures
Fireworkz stores pictures on two invisible layers of your document, the front layer and the back layer.
This gives you additional flexibility in using pictures,
and means that when you are working with pictures you need not worry about moving your text around.
Pictures can be either in front of or behind the text layer.
If the picture layer is in front, pictures could obscure any text in the same place on the page.
If it is behind the text layer, the picture will appear behind any text in the same place on the page.
You can use the commands on the Pictures menu to swap the layers over to get the effect you want.
Adding pictures to your document
To add a picture file to a document:
Select the picture file (which may be a JPEG, Draw file or Sprite file) from the directory
in which it is stored using the Filer (RISC OS) or File Explorer (Windows).
Drag the picture's file icon into the window of the document.
Release the mouse button.
The picture will be added to the document.
Using the Insert File command
In Windows you can also add files to documents by using the Insert File command.
Place the caret at the point in the document where you want the picture adding.
Choose Insert File from the File menu.
Choose the document you want from the dialogue box which appears.
The picture will be added to the document.
Storing pictures in documents
There are two ways in which pictures can be stored in the document:
Embedded pictures are saved as part of your document file.
This means that your complete document is just one file,
which makes it much easier to move from computer to computer,
and you don't have to worry about losing picture files.
Embedded pictures can easily be transferred between platforms.
Referenced pictures are not saved as part of your document file;
instead, the document notes where Fireworkz should look for the picture next time you open the file.
This method makes your document file smaller,
but you will need to keep the picture file in the same place,
and also to remember to give a copy of the picture file to anyone you give the document file to.
It is harder to transfer referenced pictures between platforms.
The default setting is that all pictures are embedded.
However, you can change this in the
Choices dialogue box by switching the
Embed pictures option off.
If you reference a picture, you can still embed it in your document by selecting it and then choosing
Embed from the Pictures menu.
To turn an embedded picture into a referenced picture:
Select the picture
Choose Save as from the Save menu and save the picture outside the document.
Delete the picture from the document.
Switch off the Embed pictures option in the Choices dialogue box.
Drop the saved picture's file icon back on the document.
It will be referenced in the document.
If, when you try to open a document containing a referenced picture, Fireworkz cannot find the picture, you will see an error message.
Positioning pictures on the page
Once you have added your picture to the document you may want to
move it to a new place, fix it in the place it is in, or make it bigger or smaller.
These actions can all be done on screen with the mouse so you can always see what is happening.
To move a picture around the page:
Click the left mouse button within the picture so that its selection box is displayed.
Move the pointer to inside the picture's selection box. The pointer will change into a hand.
Click and hold the left mouse button down and drag to where you want to move the picture.
When you release the left mouse button the picture will appear in its new location.
Fixing the position of pictures on the page
Pictures can be pinned to the cell/text layer of the document,
so that they move if rows and columns are inserted or deleted.
You can tell that the picture is pinned because the top left selection handle appears solid red, and the others are in outline.
You may want to pin the bottom of the picture as well,
for example if you are adding a border to an area of document and
think you may want to insert some more rows in the middle of the section.
To pin pictures:
Click the left mouse button within the picture so that its selection box is displayed.
Double-click in the bottom right selection handle.
The selection handle will appear solid to show that the picture has been pinned to the cell.
If the cell to which the bottom of the picture has been pinned moves, the picture will resize to take account of it.
Unpinning pictures
You may want to unpin pictures so that they stay in the same position on the page,
rather than floating with the paragraph or cell to which they have been pinned.
To unpin pictures, double-click the top left selection handle
so that it is an outline rather than a solid square.
If the bottom right selection handle is solid (and therefore pinned)
you should double-click that as well.
Resizing pictures
You may find that pictures do not appear in your document at exactly the required size.
To change the size:
Click the left mouse button within the picture so that its selection box is displayed.
Point at the bottom right-hand selection handle.
The pointer will change into a four way arrow.
Drag the picture to the new size using the left mouse button.
This will resize the picture while preserving its aspect ratio,
i.e. it will not be distorted by this process.
If you do not want to preserve the aspect ratio of the picture,
drag and resize using Adjust (RISC OS) or Ctrl-left mouse button (Windows).
Stretching or shrinking the picture
You may stretch or shrink the picture along one axis by:
Display the selection box by clicking in the picture.
Point at the selection handle in the middle of the top or bottom to change the vertical dimension or the left or right to change the horizontal.
The pointer will change into a two way arrow.
Drag away from the picture to stretch it or into the picture to shrink it.
When you release the mouse button the picture will appear in its new size and shape.
Showing and hiding pictures
If your document contains a lot of pictures scrolling through it can become slow.
You may prefer to turn the display of pictures off,
in the Choices dialogue box
accessed via the icon bar menu (RISC OS)
or the File menu (Windows).
If you then want to see the pictures, change the option in the Choices dialogue box.
Backdrop pictures
A backdrop is a picture which appears behind the text and does not move when the text changes.
You would usually use backdrops to help you create stationery.
You will probably use one of two strategies with backdrops:
Create stationery by printing the backdrop with your document on to plain paper
If you have pre-printed stationery, use the backdrop to help you line your document up to match the stationery.
In this case you will need to create a Draw file or sprite file which matches your pre-printed stationery, perhaps by scanning the stationery.
When you print the document, you do not print the backdrop.
Creating backdrops
To create a backdrop within a document:
Drag the picture file into your Fireworkz document window, and click to select it.
Choose Backdrop from the Pictures menu.
The Backdrop dialogue box will be displayed.
Choose one of the first two options in the dialogue box.
All pages prints the backdrop on all pages of the document.
First page only prints the backdrop on only the first page of the document.
You should then choose an option to tell Fireworkz where to position the backdrop on the page.
Work area moves the backdrop so that
its top left appears immediately after the header.
Printable area places the backdrop
at the top left of the printable area, at the top of the header.
Paper places the backdrop at the top left of the paper;
you would normally only use this for backdrops representing your pre-printed stationery
in documents where you do not want to print the backdrop.
The final options in the Backdrop dialogue box are:
Print,
which determines whether the backdrop is printed with the document or not.
You might use this option to display a backdrop on screen (such as your company letterhead)
to help you position text which will be printed on pre-printed stationery.
Scale to fit,
which scales the backdrop to fit the Paper region.
This is most useful for placing decorative borders around the page.
Click OK.
The backdrop will be displayed as requested.
Repositioning backdrops
To reposition a backdrop:
Choose Swap front/back from the
Pictures sub-menu on the
Extra menu.